Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Barrel Aged Cocktails Trend Grows

As the journalism maxim goes, "Two makes a trend."

A while back, I posted about Portland, OR, mixologist Jeffrey Morgenthaler's experiments with barrel-aged Manhattans, Tridents and Negronis. (Promised samples of such concoctions never made it through the mails, so I can't report on the success of the experiments.)

Now, I hear tell of some barrel-aged Negronis in the works at Sardine (above), a joint in Madison, WI. Brian Ellison, chief at Death Door Spirits, told me about it. He should know. They're using his gin.

Negronis are an interesting choice, since the drink involves white spirits, not brown. Brown, you would think, would be the natural spirit for barrel-aging. But, hey, everything's worth a try.

Why doesn't anyone give this a try in New York, so I can actually sample the stuff?

About Me

Robert Simonson writes about spirits, cocktails and wine for such publications as The New York Times, Imbibe, Edible Brooklyn and Manhattan, Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and GQ. He holds an advanced certificate from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, and another from the Beverage Alcohol Resource. He was nominated for 2012 Spirited Award for Best Cocktail Writing.
Follow him on Twitter: @RobertOSimonson